That escalated quickly: Alberta Coronavirus
I read an article like this a little over a week ago.
People are sick and dying. And the numbers aren't insignificant. Add to that the panic and concern some are feeling and this is just about the most tone deaf thing I could think of. Yes, the impact to the Alberta economy is also painful. As it is to the rest of Canada and the world in general. But, the human impact of the virus should not be less than a footnote.
I saw the article and I asked myself "how many presumptive cases is Alberta currently dealing with?". At the time... ZERO.
My next thought? How long until he is forced to swallow his words? Answer; not very long at all. In 9 days they went from 0 cases to 14. I don't think any single Province in Canada has been hit this fast and hard. As all are travel related we may see similar booms elsewhere, but that isn't the point. The point is really about making public statements without proper care for the subject matter. The oil and gas industry isn't the only one reeling. But even that isn't the tragedy here. It is the gravity the situation is being given. Which in this case, was none.
Thus, Kenney deserves some of the blame for the spike in infections in his Province. I'm not saying that things would turn out differently had he changed his message. In fact, these 14 people had likely already contracted it at the time of his original statement given the lengthy incubation period.
But, his public statements didn't simply downplay the virus. They treated it as an economic threat first. And didn't acknowledge it as a health threat at all. This most certainly sets the wrong tone with people. I wonder if he still views it as simply an economic inconvenience?
The 14 patients along with the rest of Alberta were granted a false sense of security by their Premiere. He abused the situation when there were still no confirmed cases rather than encouraging proper caution given that it was clearly only a matter of time before the infection made it to Alberta. This false sense of security may have had the effect of causing these 14 patients to be less cautious about the spread of the virus than they may have otherwise been and the same in those who may have come in contact with them.
I'm not being insensitive to those working in the oil and gas industry either. If cases keep popping up at this rate in Alberta it won't be the economy killing business there. It will be the quarantine efforts. Albertans should be careful that they don't find themselves loving the oil and gas industry more than their own safety. Because, here in Canada, the lives of Albertans are a very big part of what the oil and gas industry actually is.
And that is why the dismissal of the human threat of the virus in the face of the economical one is such a miscarriage of rational thought.
[footnote]
Alberta's Premiere talks at length about the ingenuity of Albertans. What better occasion than the present to take lengths to prove it and both diversify your economy while looking out for oil and gas at the same time?
Alberta should be at the forefront of investing in measures to cure and contain COVID-19. After all, a timely resolution to the problem could help restore demand for oil and gas, while the investments in such efforts could help to encourage the growth of new industry in the Province while providing some additional jobs during a time which is undoubtedly taking some away.
Basically, any effort which slows, contains or cures this strain of coronavirus also eases fears and accelerates recovery which in turn go some way to restoring normal demand for their primary resource.
And should any measure of success be achieved, it would help to elevate the Province on the global stage, which would again help with international perceptions of both Alberta and of Canada which may be useful in the years to come as the EU plans to start penalizing trade partners which aren't up to snuff on their environmental efforts.
[/footnote]
People are sick and dying. And the numbers aren't insignificant. Add to that the panic and concern some are feeling and this is just about the most tone deaf thing I could think of. Yes, the impact to the Alberta economy is also painful. As it is to the rest of Canada and the world in general. But, the human impact of the virus should not be less than a footnote.
I saw the article and I asked myself "how many presumptive cases is Alberta currently dealing with?". At the time... ZERO.
My next thought? How long until he is forced to swallow his words? Answer; not very long at all. In 9 days they went from 0 cases to 14. I don't think any single Province in Canada has been hit this fast and hard. As all are travel related we may see similar booms elsewhere, but that isn't the point. The point is really about making public statements without proper care for the subject matter. The oil and gas industry isn't the only one reeling. But even that isn't the tragedy here. It is the gravity the situation is being given. Which in this case, was none.
Thus, Kenney deserves some of the blame for the spike in infections in his Province. I'm not saying that things would turn out differently had he changed his message. In fact, these 14 people had likely already contracted it at the time of his original statement given the lengthy incubation period.
But, his public statements didn't simply downplay the virus. They treated it as an economic threat first. And didn't acknowledge it as a health threat at all. This most certainly sets the wrong tone with people. I wonder if he still views it as simply an economic inconvenience?
The 14 patients along with the rest of Alberta were granted a false sense of security by their Premiere. He abused the situation when there were still no confirmed cases rather than encouraging proper caution given that it was clearly only a matter of time before the infection made it to Alberta. This false sense of security may have had the effect of causing these 14 patients to be less cautious about the spread of the virus than they may have otherwise been and the same in those who may have come in contact with them.
I'm not being insensitive to those working in the oil and gas industry either. If cases keep popping up at this rate in Alberta it won't be the economy killing business there. It will be the quarantine efforts. Albertans should be careful that they don't find themselves loving the oil and gas industry more than their own safety. Because, here in Canada, the lives of Albertans are a very big part of what the oil and gas industry actually is.
And that is why the dismissal of the human threat of the virus in the face of the economical one is such a miscarriage of rational thought.
[footnote]
Alberta's Premiere talks at length about the ingenuity of Albertans. What better occasion than the present to take lengths to prove it and both diversify your economy while looking out for oil and gas at the same time?
Alberta should be at the forefront of investing in measures to cure and contain COVID-19. After all, a timely resolution to the problem could help restore demand for oil and gas, while the investments in such efforts could help to encourage the growth of new industry in the Province while providing some additional jobs during a time which is undoubtedly taking some away.
Basically, any effort which slows, contains or cures this strain of coronavirus also eases fears and accelerates recovery which in turn go some way to restoring normal demand for their primary resource.
And should any measure of success be achieved, it would help to elevate the Province on the global stage, which would again help with international perceptions of both Alberta and of Canada which may be useful in the years to come as the EU plans to start penalizing trade partners which aren't up to snuff on their environmental efforts.
[/footnote]
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